Orthopedic device

ABSTRACT

A method and device for assisting the gait of an individual using an orthopedic device, wherein the orthopedic device includes an upper anchor device, a lower anchor device and a connecting member and wherein the connecting member is associated with the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to resiliently connect to the upper anchor device with the lower anchor device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/628,8000 filed Nov. 16, 2004, the contents of which ate incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to a device for assisting the walking and gait of a person and more particularly to a device for encouraging an injured joint of a person, such as a hip or knee joint, to bend.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Knee injuries are not uncommon and can be physically debilitating and painful conditions. In the past, professional athletes and elderly persons tended to make up the majority of the demographic which were subject to sustaining serious injuries to the knee joint. However, as ‘regular’ individuals starting paying more attention to their health and quality of life, these ‘regular’ individuals started to eat better foods, take vitamins and exercise on a regular basis. Although these new lifestyle changes increased the overall health of the population, these changes also increased the number of injuries sustained by the joints of the body, in particular, the knee joint.

Also, the percentage of the population aged 65 and older is growing rapidly as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age. In face, it is estimated that by the year 2030, the United States alone may have over sixty million people 65 years of age or older. Thus, greatly increasing the number of people who will suffer from osteoarthritis and its effects on weight bearing joints.

The knee is the largest joint in the body and must support the entire weight of the upper body during the normal course of walking or running. As such, the knee joint has a major influence on the way a person carries themselves and walks, commonly referred to as gait. Therefore, it should not be surprising that an injury to the knee is not only a medically serious condition, but can also have a major impact on a person's ability to get around and live their life actively. It is well known that most injuries to the knee should be treated as quickly and effectively as possible, including physical therapy following an injury and/or most surgical procedures. In fact, the sooner an individual with an injured or swollen knee can perform basic exercises, such as a quad set, quad quivers and/or a short arc squad (all activities that call upon the vastus medialis oblique), the faster the pain and swelling is relieved and the faster the gait pattern of the individual is normalized and the faster that person can return to normal activities.

Unfortunately however, knee injuries and operations tend to make the knee stiff and painful and difficult to bend, all of which may cause an individual with a knee injury to favor the injured/disabled knee. Thus, in order to perform the above mentioned beneficial exercise, the individual typically requires the assistance of a physical therapist. The goal of the physical therapist is to help the individual regain muscle strength, relieve pain, reduce edema, increase range of motion and improve and normalize gait and function. Often times, one or more of these goals become difficult to attain. The longer these goals go unrealized, the more difficult it is to restore normal functioning and gait. In order to avoid the onset of bad habits (gait deviations/limping) an orthotic device is necessary to be utilized as an instructional tool while in therapy and an exercise tool while at home to assist in the proper carryover of exercise and the proper gain pattern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An orthopedic device is provided and includes an upper anchor device, a lower anchor device and a connecting member, wherein the connecting member is associated with the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to resiliently connect the upper anchor device with the lower anchor device.

A method for assisting the gait of an individual using an orthopedic device having an upper anchor device, a lower anchor device and a connecting member is provided, wherein the connecting member is constructed from a resilient material having a predetermined amount of elasticity. The method includes attaching the upper anchor device to an upper portion of the individual, attaching the lower anchor device to a lower portion of the individual and associating the upper anchor device with the lower anchor device via the connecting member, such that when a force is applied to at least one of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device in a direction opposite the other of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device, the connecting member exerts a force on at least one of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device in a direction toward the other of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to cause the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to be drawn together.

A method for assisting the gait of an individual, wherein the individual has a limb with a first limb portion movably separated from a second limb portion by a pivot point is provided, wherein the method includes identifying a first anchor location and a second anchor location, wherein the first anchor location is disposed on the first limb portion and wherein the second anchor location is disposed on the second limb portion. The method further includes associating a first anchor device with the first anchor location and a second anchor device with the second anchor location, connecting the first anchor device with the second anchor device via a connecting device wherein the connecting device includes a predetermined amount of resilience, moving at least one of the first limb portion and the second limb portion to cause at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device to move in a direction away from the other of the first anchor device and the second anchor device, such that the connecting device exerts a force on at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device in the direction of the other of at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 is a top down view of an orthopedic device, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top down view of an upper anchor of the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top down view of a lower anchor of the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top down view of a connecting member of the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top down view of a plurality of connecting members of the orthopedic device of FIG. 1 each of which as a different coefficient of elasticity;

FIG. 6 is a rear side view of a patient implementing the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a patient implementing the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a rear side view of a patient implementing the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a patient implementing the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of a patient implementing the orthopedic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a method for assisting the gait of an individual using the orthopedic device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a method for assisting the gait of an individual.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an orthopedic device 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown and includes an upper anchor device 102, a lower anchor device 104 and a connecting member 106. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper anchor device 102 includes an upper body mounting strap 108 having an upper strap attachment device 110 for allowing the upper anchor device 102 to be attached to an upper portion of an individual, wherein the upper strap attachment device 110 includes a first attachment portion 112 and a second attachment portion 114 for securingly engaging each other. The upper anchor device 102 further includes an upper strap attachment device 116 for allowing the connecting member 106 to be removably and/or adjustably attached to the upper anchor device 102. Additionally, the upper anchor device 102 also includes an upper strap adjustment device 118 for adjusting the size of the upper body mounting strap 108 to allow the orthopedic device 100 to be worn by individuals of various sizes.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower anchor device 104 includes a lower body mounting strap 120 having a lower strap attachment device 122 for allowing the lower anchor device 104 to be attached to a lower portion of an individual. It should be appreciated that the lower strap attachment device 122 may be size adjustable to allow the lower anchor device 104 to be worn by individuals of various sizes. Additionally, the lower anchor device 104 further includes a lower member attachment device 124 for allowing the connecting member 106 to be removably and/or adjustably attached to the lower anchor device 104. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the connecting member 106 includes a first connecting device 126 and a second connecting device 128 connectively and resiliently separated from each other by an elastic portion 131, wherein the elastic portion 131 is constructed from a resilient material with a predetermined amount of elasticity (resilience) to provide a desired amount of resistance for assisting the gait of an individual during use.

Referring to the FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, it should be appreciated that the orthopedic device 100 may be implemented as follows. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the upper anchor device 102 is attached to an upper portion 130 of an individual 132, where in this case the upper portion 130 is shown as being the waist section 134 of the individual 132. To accomplish this, the upper body mounting strap 108 is wrapped around the waist section 134 of the individual 132 and the first attachment portion 112 is associated with the second attachment portion 114 to be securingly engaged with each other. It should be appreciated that when the first attachment portion 112 is securingly engaged with the second attachment portion 114, the body mount strap 108 acts like an fastening belt around the waist section 134 of the individual 132, wherein the size of the body mount strap 108 may be adjusted via the upper strap adjustment device 118.

The lower anchor device 104 is attached to a lower portion 136 of the individual 132, where in this case the lower portion 136 is shown as being the calf section 138 of the leg 140 of the individual 132. To accomplish this, the lower body mounting strap 120 is wrapped about the calf section 138 of the individual 132 and the lower strap attachment device is configured to securely associate the lower body mounting strap 120 to the calf section 138 of the leg 140. It should be appreciated that the when the lower body mounting strap 120 is associated with the calf section 138, the lower body mount strap 120 acts like an fastening belt around the calf section 138 of the individual 132, wherein the size of the lower body mount strap 108 may be adjusted via the lower member attachment device 124. This allows the lower body mount strap 108 to be securely held on the calf section 138 of the individual 132. The connecting member 106 is associated with the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 by associating the first connecting device 126 with the upper strap attachment device 116 and by associating the second connecting device 128 with the lower strap attachment device 122.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, with the orthopedic device 102 connected to the individual 132 as discussed above, as the patient takes a step with the leg 140, the leg 140 is extended and directed away from the individual 132 such that the lower anchor device 104 is furthest from the upper anchor device 102. Due to the elasticity (resilience) in the connecting member 106, the patient has to exert an ‘extra’ amount of energy to counteract the resistance of the connecting member 106 which is working to prevent the extension of the injured leg 140 by exerting a force on at least one of the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 in the direction of the other of the at least one upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104. As the patient continues taking a step, the patient puts supporting pressure on the injured leg 140 and then transfers the supporting pressure to an uninjured leg 142. The injured leg 140 is brought back away from the direction of movement causing the injured leg 144 to bend at its knee 146. The elasticity of the connecting member 106 pulls the injured leg 140 back away from the direction of movement assisting the knee 146 to bend, thus assisting the person's gait.

Referring to FIG. 11, a block diagram illustrating a method 200 for assisting the gait of an individual 132 using the orthopedic device 100 is shown and includes attaching the upper anchor device 102 to an upper portion 130 of the individual 132, as shown in operational block 202. The method 200 further includes attaching the lower anchor device 104 to a lower portion 136 of the individual 132, as shown in operational block 204 and the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 are connected via the connecting member 106, as shown in operational block 206. As such, when a force is applied to either or both of the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 in a direction opposite the other of the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104, the connecting member 106 exerts a force on at least one of the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 in a direction toward the other of the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 to cause the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 to be drawn together. This assists the gait of the individual 132 by causing the lower portion 136 of the leg 140 to be drawn back and up toward the upper anchor device 102. As the individual 132 walks, the individual 132 is forced to push against the resistance of the connecting device 106 which helps to build muscle and assist in the development of the gait of the individual 132.

Referring to FIG. 12, a block diagram illustrating a method 300 for assisting the gait of an individual 132, wherein the individual has a limb with a first limb portion movably separated from a second limb portion by a pivot point, is shown and includes identifying a first anchor location and a second anchor location, as shown in operational block 302, wherein the first anchor location is disposed on the first limb portion and wherein the second anchor location is disposed on the second limb portion. The method further includes associating a first anchor device with the first anchor location and a seconds anchor device with the second anchor location, as shown in operational block 304, and connecting the first anchor device with the second anchor device via a connecting device, wherein the connecting device includes a predetermined amount of resilience, as shown in operational block 306. Additionally, the method includes moving at least one of the first limb portion and the second limb portion to cause at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device to move in a direction away from the other of the first anchor device and the second anchor device, is shown in operational block 308. As such, the connecting device exerts a force on at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device in the direction of the other of at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device to cause the upper anchor de vice 102 and the lower anchor device 104 to be drawn together. This assists the gait of the individual 132 by causing the lower portion 136 of the leg 140 to be drawn back and up toward the upper anchor device 102. As the individual 132 walks, the individual 132 is forced to push against the resistance of the connecting device 106 which helps to build muscle and assist in the development of the gait of the individual 132.

It should be appreciated that at least one c)f the upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 may be secured to the individual 1 32 via a connecting device, such as a belt connector, a snap connector, a hook connector, a clip connector and/or a Velcro® connector such that the waist section 134 of the individual 132 prevents the upper anchor device 102 from traversing the body of the individual 132 to the calf section 138 of the leg 140. In a similar fashion, the lower anchor 104 is attached to the lower portion 118 of the body of the individual 132, wherein the lower portion 118 is shown as being associated with the calf section 138 of the leg 140. As above, the lower anchor 104 may be secured to the individual 132 via a connecting device, such as a belt connector, a snap connector a hood connector, a clip connector and/or a Velcro® connector such that the calf portion 138 of the leg 140 prevents the lower anchor 104 from traversing the body of the individual 132 to the waist section 134 of the individual 132. It should be appreciated that upper anchor device 102 and the lower anchor device 104 are associated with the body of the individual 132 such that the upper strap attachment device 116 and the lower strap attachment device 122, respectively, are adjacent the back portion of the body of the individual 132 to be directed away from the direction of the natural bend of the knee portion of the leg 140.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions and/or additions may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. 

1. An orthopedic device, comprising: an upper anchor device; a lower anchor device; and a connecting member, wherein said connecting member is associated with said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device to resiliently connect said upper anchor device with said lower anchor device.
 2. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is constructed from an elastic material.
 3. The orthopedic device according to claim 2, wherein said elastic material includes a predetermined amount of elasticity to provide a desired resistance.
 4. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device is at least one of a clip, a snap, a hook, a belt and a Velcro®t connector.
 5. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is removably associated with said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device to allow said connecting member to be replaced easily.
 6. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member includes at least one connecting member anchor device for associating said connecting member with at least one of said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device.
 7. The orthopedic device according to claim 6, wherein said at least one connecting member anchor device is at least one of a clip, a snap, a hook, a belt and a Velcro® connector.
 8. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said upper anchor device is associated with a waist section of an individual.
 9. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said lower anchor device is associated with an ankle section of an individual.
 10. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is removably connected to said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device such that said connecting member is at least one of replaceable and adjustable.
 11. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is at least one of length and resistance adjustable.
 12. A method for assisting the gait of an individual using an orthopedic device having an upper anchor device, a lower anchor device and a connecting member, wherein the connecting member is constructed from a resilient material having a predetermined amount of elasticity, the method comprising: securing the upper anchor device to an upper portion of the individual; securing the lower anchor device to a lower portion of the individual; and associating the upper anchor device with the lower anchor device via the connecting member, such that when a force is applied to at least one of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device in a direction opposite the other of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device, the connecting member exerts a force on at least one of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device in a direction toward the other of the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to cause the upper anchor device and the lower anchor device to be drawn together.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said connecting member is constructed from a material having the predetermined amount of resistance.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting the connecting member responsive to a desired amount of resistance between said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein said securing the upper anchor device includes associating the upper anchor device via at least one of a clip, a snap, a hook, a belt and a Velcro® connector.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein said securing the lower anchor device includes associating the upper anchor device via at least one of a clip, a snap, a hook, a belt and a Velcro® connector.
 17. The method of claim 12, further comprising incrementally increasing the predetermined amount of elasticity responsive at least in part to the gait of the individual.
 18. A method for assisting the gait of an individual, wherein the individual has a limb with a first limb portion movably separated from a second limb portion by a pivot point, the method comprising: identifying a first anchor location and a second anchor location, wherein said first anchor location is disposed on the first limb portion and wherein said second anchor location is disposed on the second limb portion; associating a first anchor device with said first anchor location and a second anchor device with said second anchor location; connecting said first anchor device with said second anchor device via a connecting device wherein said connecting device includes a predetermined amount of resilience; moving at least one of the first limb portion and the second limb portion to cause at least one of said first anchor device and said second anchor device to move in a direction away from the other of said first anchor device and said second anchor device, such that said connecting device exerts a force on at least one of said first anchor device and said second anchor device in the direction of the other of at least one of said first anchor device and said second anchor device.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the connecting member responsive to a desired amount of resistance between said upper anchor device and said lower anchor device.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising incrementally increasing the predetermined amount of resilience responsive at least in part to the gait of the individual. 